Something In The Water
by Gothic984
Summary: Lucas tries to toy with a resident who had broken a deal, while Selena tries to figure a way back into Lucas' good books.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories Emotion, Old Friends, Family, Difficult Decisions, Reflection, Spirit, Acceptance, Whole Again, Homecoming, Oh Father, Birthday Surprises, Misguided Feelings, New Year, Picture Perfect, Kinship, Big River, Sunday Morning Coming Down, To Beat The Devil, Best Of All Possible Worlds, Little Girl Lost, Wicked Games, Monster Bash, It Takes Two To Tango, Nobody Wins, Down the rabbit hole, Come Together, Make a Memory and Something Bad.

It was a dull Friday afternoon in Trinity South Carolina. Dark clouds had covered the sky all day, causing several outbreaks of torrential rain and a strong wind blew through the town. Selena Coombs sat behind her desk trying to ignore the loud crash of rain against the classroom windows, while her students were busy completing an exam.

Selena had been on her best behaviour since the incident a few weeks earlier, where she had let slip one of Lucas' secrets to Gail. Lucas had not bothered with her after their intimate exchange in his office, orchestrated by Gail. It had been a surprise that the lovely Miss Emory had allowed her to perform that particular act on him in front of her and although it was obvious the show had not been for her, she could not help feeling connected to them and wanted to find a way to get back into the fold.

The past few weeks had been hard, she had been left to her usual mundane routine; however, the incident in Lucas' office had stirred something deep inside of her and she could not get them both out of her head. After considering her options, she had figured out that the best way into their lives was sitting right in front of her every day and she would ensure that she took full advantage of her access to the young Buck.

Selena glanced around the class and saw most of her students had finished the exam, now they were just awaiting to end of school bell. When it rang loud throughout the school, her class rushed out the door; however, she halted Caleb Temple and Boone Mckenzie before they had a chance to escape.

'Where do you think you two are going?' she asked, with an air of authority in her tone.

Boone looked from Caleb to Miss Coombs and regarded his Teacher with a look of confusion. 'It's home time Miss Coombs, we gotta go ridin''

Selena let out a small laugh and glanced at their exam papers. 'This scribble is scarcely legible, do you two think this is acceptable for an exam? How do you expect me to mark what I can't read?'

Caleb looked at Boone, who was staring down at his hands nervously, then stood tall and turned towards his Teacher. 'You ain't stopped anyone else, it ain't that bad' he said defiantly.

Selena had counted on Caleb's insubordination and stood up from behind her desk. 'The other children have no problem with their handwriting Caleb and quite frankly, I don't appreciate your tone...You two will sit down and complete this exam to an acceptable standard' she ordered and handed them both a blank exam sheet.

Caleb inhaled deeply and tried to push down his anger. 'And if we don't?' he challenged.

Selena perched on the edge of her desk and smiled venomously. 'Well then your busy cousin will be forced to come down here with her new born child and explain your defiant behaviour...I doubt your parents will be impressed that you allowed yourself to get in trouble, due to Caleb's lack of respect for authority Boone'

Boone took hold of Caleb's arm and shook his head in a warning gesture. His father was not happy that he chose Caleb Temple as his best friend and would look for any excuse to ban him from spending time with him. 'Alright Miss Coombs, we're sorry and we'll re-do it'

Caleb sighed at Boone's quickness to back down and sat down next to his friend reluctantly.

Selena smiled to herself at how easy it was to push that child's buttons and would take pleasure in keeping them here as long as she could.

* * *

Heavy rain crashed against the large windows of the Buck Mansion. The curtains of the open bedroom window blew wildly in the wind and large drops of rain landed on the dark grey shirt, which had been discarded on the floor by a pair of black pants and boxer shorts.

Lucas Buck ran his hands up his love's body, as he lay on his side thrusting in and out of her. He had only came home to check she had not abandoned her motherly duties and ensure she was not out digging up dirt on him; however, when he saw her laying on her side in the bed napping, he could not resist taking her right there and then.

Gail reached back and pulled his head to her neck, then let out a low moan as he began biting her teasingly. She had known he would be checking up on her, god knows he had been doing it since their honest conversation a few weeks earlier; therefore, she welcomed this bit of action, to get her out of her boring routine of late.

Lucas gripped her hips tight and slowed his movements, allowing him to thrust deep inside of her. He had been making a conscious effort to be more tender in their intimate exchanges, he knew part of her craved his dark side; however, taking her this way infuriated her and allowed him to soften her resolve.

He continued his slow thrusts as their climax started to build, she was digging her nails into his hands hard and he knew she wanted to him to stop this tender behaviour. The sound of Luke crying forced his hand and he took her hard for the final moments, then called out her name as his orgasm hit and pulled her too him tight.

Gail pulled the pillow to her mouth to stifle her call, then pulled free of his grasp and rushed up to see to their baby. She cleaned herself up as she headed to the cot situated close to the heater and tried to overcome the urge to sit down when her legs began to buckle. Her little man had started to cry more often when he could not see her and she smiled lovingly at him, as he stared back up at her with tired eyes.

'It's good to know one Buck has your heart' Lucas mocked, as he propped himself up on his elbow to watch her with his boy.

'I could be fond of more than one Buck...who knows at this point?' Gail joked and carefully picked up Luke.

Lucas smiled appreciatively as she rocked his son in her arms and sat down next to him on the bed. He stroked her bare back with his finger and wanted nothing more to pull her naked body back into the bed with him.

'Now, now Sheriff...I shouldn't be abandoning my motherly duties and you have a town to run, if I'm not mistaken' she said sarcastically, reading his mind.

Lucas cursed himself for dropping the guard on his thoughts. He really did need to be more careful around her, considering she had made her intentions clear about investigating Selena's statement a few weeks ago. 'We wouldn't want you doing that...' he sighed and started to get out of bed. '...I suppose I should head back to the office, to ensure my Deputies haven't caused some random tragedy'

'As if your Deputies are the problem...' she laughed, then glanced at the clock with a look of concern.

'What is it?' Lucas asked, sensing her unease and started to get dressed.

'I should check on the newest member of the Trinity Guardian, I've kind of thrown her into the deep end' Gail shrugged, then placed the baby carefully on the bed and went to the walk in closet.

Lucas glanced at the clock and saw it was after 4:30pm, then watched as Gail pull on a long black skirt and maroon sweater. He approached her slowly, turned her around and placed a soft kiss on her lips. 'You behave while you're out and about, or there'll be hell to pay later' he warned.

Gail nipped at his lip playfully, then pulled away from his grasp. 'Would I ever defy you?' she mocked sweetly, then laughed as he shook his head in exasperation and left her alone with the baby.

* * *

Merlyn sat in the large bright office, staring at her computer screen. She had been tasked with gathering evidence on how residents in Trinity felt about the decline in Goat Town; however, she was struggling to determine which view points were important and which were just mindless residents pretending to have an opinion on a subject they knew nothing about.

She had never previously considered how hard the role of a Reporter could be. It was bad enough trying to get people to talk to you and not slam their doors in your face, then you had to add in sifting through all the information gathered just to establish what was relevant. Merlyn had decided a few weeks ago that she was up for the challenge, she would face this trial head on and prove that her cousin had made the right choice in trusting her as an assistant; however, part of her was scared that she would fail and prove useless to the one person who had displayed faith in her.

Merlyn sighed to herself and stared at the blank screen in front of her, then got up and walked over to the large window which overlooked the business district of Trinity. She watched as some office workers exited the building across the street, seemingly heading home for the day and ran her hand through her straightened hair.

She had spotted the office workers on her first day and took note of their appearance, since then she had ensured her hair was tidy and her clothes were suitable for an office environment. Merlyn had been very appreciative when Gail had took her shopping and given her some cash to buy the appropriate attire, it helped her feel confident dressing the part and Gail had called the cash a incentive to work well for her.

Merlyn wanted so much to impress her cousin and was trying hard to ensure the work she did met Gail's high standards; however, she had hit a wall and was inundated with information she had no idea what to do with, this was causing her to doubt her capabilities in this role and she was not used to this type of responsibility. 'How does she do it?' she asked out loud and took a deep breath to calm herself.

'By not letting herself feel under pressure and focusing on what she cares about in a story' Gail answered and walked into the office holding Luke tight to her chest, to shield him from her gossiping coworkers.

Merlyn had not expected to see her cousin here and suddenly felt nervous in her presence. 'I was just talkin' to myself' she shrugged.

'Oh good...' Gail laughed and placed Luke carefully on the large couch in her office, '...I'd hate to think you were conversing with voices in your head. We had enough of that behaviour when Matt was in Juniper'

Merlyn glanced at her hands and tried to avoid her cousins suspicious stare. She had not meant to make Matt appear crazy when she used to visit him in her ghostly state, she had only been trying to help him get through it all. In hindsight, she realised that allowing him to believe he was visited by a dead person did not help his situation at the time.

Gail sensed Merlyn's discomfort and walked around her desk to the computer. 'I see you've made yourself at home on my side' she acknowledged.

'I just didn't wanna be sat with my back facin' the door, it seemed rude to the other people in the office' Merlyn explained.

Gail smiled at the girls purity and sat down on her chair. She could not remember ever being so pure and innocent herself, she supposed that was due to the foster homes she had been forced to live through as a young girl. There was nothing wrong with how Merlyn was, in fact it was refreshing to see someone so genuine; however, that quality would not get her through in the real world. 'Don't mind your work colleagues, just focus on you and what you want to accomplish...What's causing your block?' she asked and signaled towards the blank computer screen in front of her.

Merlyn sighed and shook her head in exasperation. 'There's just so much!...' she snapped, '...I don't even know where to start'

Gail clicked on the file at the bottom of the screen and scrolled down. Merlyn had done well with the amount of residents she had gotten to comment on this issue; however, there was no other research, or an order to her information and she started to understand the cause of the girls frustration.

It was second nature to Gail to categorize her interviews, she would instinctively grade the information she had obtained and discard anything that was not relevant, or appeared fabricated. She had been doing this for years and had all the background training for the role, in addition to the hands on experience. Gail knew the way she was going about this with her cousin was not fair, it was cruel and her high expectations with the lack of training could push the girl to close in on herself; however, Gail was confident with Merlyn's abilities and she had previously allowed the girl to tread along quietly in the background for too long.

Gail had initially wanted Merlyn helping her here, to enable her to fool Lucas into believing she was considering dropping her hours to part time. This would cause his trust to grow, as she would appear to be taking their family life more seriously and that would in turn allow her to find out what she needed to know, while his guard was down.

Gail was all set to try to uncover the secret that Lucas was hiding about Merlyn, until it had hit her that she had been selfish and she had not liked that revelation. It had caused her to re-evaluate how she was going to approach the subject of the girls death and she came to the conclusion that it was not fair to confront the source, as this would uproot her new life that she had been trying to build. Although Gail had trusted Merlyn with the strangeness that surrounded her and secrets about her past self, by doing so she had forced her to remain in the past and had not given her the opportunity to realise her full potential.

Gail had to fight for her chance to get into this line of work, it took a lot of studying and creativity to earn a scholarship to allow her to follow her true path and it had occurred to her that Merlyn did not have these options available to her, due to how her life was unfairly taken. She could vouch for the sweet girl M that she had taken into her family; however, the girl did not have the same options or records as everybody else and this prevented her from being able to find her own path without assistance.

Gail had always known that this had been her calling and with how much time Merlyn liked to spend in the library in her spare time, she suspected her passion would be in writing or some form of literature. She could not create a new identity for her outside of Trinity; however, she could do all she could to help her thrive here. Her Editor Mark had trusted her decision to allow Merlyn to work here on a seconded basis and it was up to Merlyn to prove herself now.

'Right, let's see...You've done all the interview ground work and that's great, you just need to figure out what we want to write about' Gail said, giving the opportunity for Merlyn to solve the problem.

Merlyn thought for a moment, then shook her head and placed her hands on her hips. 'I got all the information and you wanna write about the decline in Goat Town...I don't know what else you want me to do'

Gail sighed, then stood up from behind the desk and approached Merlyn by the window. 'The decline in Goat Town, is that really all I want to write about?' she asked curiously.

Merlyn stared at her cousin for a moment, she sensed she wanted her to see something; however, she was so frustrated that she could not think. Suddenly her mind became clear and she thought back to the previous two articles Gail had written on the subject. 'You've reported on this before...twice actually' she pondered.

Gail smiled and nodded. 'Good, now let's talk it out'

Merlyn began to pace the office slowly, as her mind started to work. 'You spotted the decline in Goat Town last year, it was your first proper article after you left the Charleston Post...The second article was about the lack of development when it was brought to peoples attention, you wouldn't want to report on that again'

Gail's smile grew wider and she laughed. 'No I wouldn't...Go on' she beckoned.

'Why interview all the residents? They can't control what's happenin' in Goat Town, although if enough cared I suppose that could get other peoples attention...You wanna know why no one cares!' she exclaimed when the penny dropped and smiled when Gail nodded in agreement.

'Goat Town is a part of Trinity, but it's like that old Grandfather nobody can spare the time to visit. They may tell themselves he'll be alright on his own and then turn a blind eye when his health begins to deteriorate, but when the inevitable happens they'll regret not doing something sooner...Goat Town has been neglected by Trinity's officials and the residents of this town turn a blind eye. The same happen's with Juniper House and I want to know why...Why is such an interesting part of the town is left to crumble and fall? Two articles have done nothing to stir up the resident's of this town, but I won't be beaten'

Merlyn nodded and perched herself on the edge of the desk. 'What can we possibly do to change things there?' she sighed.

Gail leaned over the couch to check Luke was OK, then turned her attention back to her cousin. 'Well, I do believe there's a certain property in your name gathering dust in Goat Town' she smiled.

Merlyn thought for a moment and cursed herself for being so stupid. She had forgotten all about her mothers old place of work, with everything that had gone on over the past few months.

Gail nodded, reading her mind and picked up Luke. 'That's one place to start and I can think of another place I'm very interested in...All we need to do is stir up enough interest to get the ball rolling'

Merlyn now understood what she was looking for and started to head back to the computer, until Gail signaled for her to stop.

'This isn't going to be a quick project and Goat Town isn't going anywhere...You've done enough work for today and it's about time for you to relax. Besides, I need you fresh for tomorrow' Gail advised, as she picked up her bag and headed for the door to her office.

'What's tomorrow? Merlyn asked curiously.

'You'll see' Gail smiled and signaled for Merlyn to follow her out once she had packed up her things.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas pulled up at the Elementary School after a quick visit the Walter Maine's farmhouse, the man had backed out on a deal a few months earlier and Lucas had not yet decided what the most suitable punishment would be. He had started to target Walter's young wife Betty; however, Gail had gotten involved and turned his plan against him, leaving him to rethink the punishment.

Lucas had been making sure Walter did not get a break from the pressure of his presence and the visit was just a friendly reminder that he was fully aware of the man, in addition to what he had not done for him. Unfortunately, the visit had been cut short when his love had called him about Caleb, it appeared his eldest had not checked in after School and Gail was worried. As Lucas had been making an effort to be a good family man since the birth of his youngest, it was only fair for him to ease her concerns and locate Caleb; therefore, here he was at the location he had last sensed his boy at.

He smiled as he strolled down the overly bright corridor, he was proud that he had made his mark in every one of these classrooms. Any normal Teacher would not have wanted to taint their place of work, especially when they work with children; however, Selena had gone along with any desire he had thrown her way.

Lucas was aware that Selena had tried so hard to make him believe her sexual appetite was enough to rival his own and she had done well for as long as she could; however, it was a shame that he had not only found a younger model, but one that equaled his sexual appetite in every way and this resulted in Selena being discarded after she proved she could not be trusted.

When he approached the open door to the classroom, he let out a long sigh at the sight on his eldest with his head down on the desk. He glanced at Selena, who sat with her chin in her hand watching the clock and instantly knew what this was. 'Come on son, up you get...' he clapped to get his attention, '...You're overdue your daily exploration with Boone'

Caleb let out a relieved breath when he heard his fathers voice, then rushed out of the classroom and shot Miss Coombs a smug look as he left.

Selena watched Caleb leave and stood up. 'You don't have authority in my class Sheriff' she said cattily.

Lucas shook his head and entered the room fully, he had fond memories of the activities they used to get up to in here and it was hard not to feel nostaligic. 'You know how far my authority stretches Teacher, maybe I should put you over my knee for spankin' and demonstrate'

Selena felt a stir between her legs and swallowed hard. 'I don't think the lovely Miss Emory would approve of that kind of behaviour' she advised and tried to remain confident under his knowing gaze.

Lucas inhaled her scent when he had closed the distance between them and stared down at her dominantly. 'I think you know the lovely Miss Emory is no longer present these days...The new improved Miss Emory might even join in the punishment' he teased.

Selena stared deep into his eyes, she had sensed something had changed with Gail a long time ago and that would explain his unnatural obsession with her. Selena could not blame him, she herself was intrigued by the woman's questionable behaviour over the past year and she would be lying if said it did not excite her. Gail was not here though, her Adonis was and he always threw her off her game. Selena had expected Gail would be completing this errand and had not realistically considered that Lucas would show himself for such a menial task of checking up on a child's whereabouts.

'You clearly don't know our relationship as well as you think, do you? You see, we have a partnership and when somethin' gets in the way of making that run smoothly, it bothers me personally...You thought keeping Caleb on detention would lure out Gail? You should know better than involving him in your scheme's' Lucas warned.

Selena inhaled deeply, in an attempt to hide her nerves and continued to hold his gaze. 'That boy isn't performing as he should and as his Teacher, I will do whatever I deem appropriate to fix that'

'Keeping him two hours after class is not appropriate Selena and I will not allow you to use my boy to get our attention. Do you understand?' he asked sterly.

Selena saw the familiar darkness cross over his eyes and nodded obediently. 'Yes Lucas'

'Good...' Lucas smiled and had an idea, '...You want back in the fold? Well I'm not averse to that idea...but you have to do something for me, let's call it a token of your loyalty'

Selena let out an excited breath, she was finally starting to get somewhere. 'Anything Lucas, I'll do whatever you want'

Lucas reached for her bag under the desk, then began to lead her out of the school. 'All I want you to do is go out tonight and have fun'

Selena regarded him suspiciously, she knew better than to trust it was that simple.

Lucas laughed, sensing her suspicion. 'Alright, you need to go have fun with Betty Maine...You'll find her in Jimmy's bar, it shouldn't take much with your talents'

Selena thought for a moment, then turned towards him as they reached the exit. 'Fun? As in typical fun or something else?' she asked curiously.

'Surprise me' he winked, then watched as a mischievous grin formed on her lips and she turned to head for her car.

Gail stood leaning against her red Mustang, with Luke in her arms and Merlyn by her side. When she spotted Selena come out of the School with Lucas, she handed the baby to Merlyn and shot her a playful wink. Merlyn took the baby and signaled for her to go follow her gut.

Selena walked down the path, until she was halted by Gail. The woman linked her arm around hers, then began leading her to her yellow sports car. 'Where are you going in such a hurry?' she asked curiously.

'Miss Coombs has an appointment to keep at Jimmy's bar love' Lucas answered from behind Selena.

Gail glanced at Selena, who instantly looked away and then turned her attention to Lucas. 'What a coincident, so do I...Be a doll and make sure the children get to bed at a reasonable time sweetheart' she smiled sweetly, then walked around to the passenger side of the car and got in.

Lucas went to protest; however, the sound of Luke's cries took his attention away from the women and when he turned back, Selena had already gotten into the driver side and sped off.

'Well that backfired' Merlyn laughed smugly and handed him the crying baby.

Lucas let out an exasperated sigh and signaled for Merlyn to follow him to his car.

* * *

Gail entered the dim lit bar with Selena and started to head towards the booths; however, her attention was taken by the bartender. She had not been here in a long time and she had gotten to know Jimmy fairly well in her past visits.

'Well, well...this isn't a sight I'm used to...' Jimmy smiled, '...What can I get you two lovely ladies'

'No ladies here' Selena laughed.

'Surprise me' Gail smiled, then signaled for Selena to follow her to a quiet spot at the back of the bar and sat down in the booth.

When they were sat comfortably, Selena shook her head and laughed.

Gail turned her full attention to the woman across from her and stared at her suspiciously. 'What's so funny?' she asked, unimpressed.

'You...you look a mess Gail, I suppose you've taken on the perfect housewife image. Woolly jumper, long skirt...all that's missing is the ring of fire to bind you' Selena mocked.

'Who say's I haven't already had that?' Gail bragged, thinking back to Lucas' mothers ring that he have given her a year ago. She knew the offer was there if she wanted it and no doubt that would haunt Selena to no end.

Selena was about to make a catty comment, when the waitress came over and placed some glasses on the table.

'Alright, we have a bottle of vodka and a pitcher of lemonade, Oh and a bottle of Jagermeister...We know where the party's at tonight, enjoy ladies' the waitress smiled sweetly and headed back to the bar.

Gail poured herself a shot of Jagermeister and downed it, without waiting for Selena. She stood up from her seated position and pulled off her jumper, to reveal a lacy black camisole and then gave her hair a shake, to allow her layers to gain more volume. 'Is this more appropriate for you? Or do you require me to remove another item of clothing?' she teased and smiled when she saw the look of disdain come over the woman before her.

'He gave you a ring?' Selena asked in disbelieve, not able to disregard the previous revelation.

Gail laughed, then poured them both a shot and held her glass up to Selena. 'He most certainly did...long before I was pregnant, before you start making incorrect accusations'

Selena stared at Gail, trying to establish whether she was lying; however, the look in her eyes indicated she was not. 'Well isn't that just perfect' she said bitterly, as she held her glass up to Gails.

'Do you see me wearing it?' Gail asked, then touched glasses in a cheers motion and they both downed their shots.

Selena licked her lips to remove the residue of her drink and shook her head in disbelief. 'Trinity's most eligible bachelor proposes to you and you tell him no?'

'It's complicated...' Gail shrugged, '...Besides, he was only acting on some misguided feeling of trust, after I accepted his questionable side. I'm sure he only wants me for my families stature in this town'

Selena poured them both a tall glass of vodka and lemonade, then stared at Gail in wonder and amusement. 'I bet he took the rejection very well' she mocked.

'Oh I'm sure the matter will come up again, I'm not lucky enough to escape that...' Gail laughed bitterly, then took a large sip of her drink. '...We're damned you and I, you know that right?'

Selena let out a small laugh, then looked towards the bar. 'Honey, you were damned as soon as you set foot back in Trinity...Me, well I've had this coming for a long time'

Gail followed her eyes and spotted a familiar face, she remembered seeing the pretty young woman who had unknowingly gotten Selena's attention before. Her name was Betty if she remembered correctly and Gail had stepped in when Lucas had attempted to punish her husband. She had allowed her darkness to take control of Betty and attack her husband to interfere with Lucas' plan, whatever that might have been. It was intriguing that Selena could not take her eyes off the woman now and Gail wondered whether Lucas was planning something again.

Without thinking, Gail stroked Selena's hand and took it into her own. She smiled when the woman's attention was fixed firmly on her and licked her lips teasingly. 'I wanna dance' she whispered, then got up and headed to the jukebox.

Selena watched as Gail sauntered past the locals and inspected the jukebox. She knew she had a job to do for Lucas; however, she was drawn to her adversary and could not pull away from her gaze.

Gail did not know what type of music she was in the mood for, as this move had been spontaneous; however, when she spotted a Garth Brooks Greatest Hits playlist, she could not resist and laughed when her favourite Garth Brooks song 'Friends in high places' started to play. It appeared Selena was content with just watching her so she signaled for Jimmy to join her from behind the bar, then dragged the man to the small dance floor and placed his hands on her hips.

'I don't know what's worse, the wrath of our Sheriff when he find's out I've touched the mother of his child, or your reaction if I refused to dance with you' Jimmy mocked.

'Well there ain't no ring on my finger yet...' Gail said sarcastically, '...Besides, you can't say you're not enjoying this'

Jimmy knew better than to comment on that statement and just spun Gail around on the dance floor, then began to sing along to the chorus with her. He did not know what this was; however, this appeared more suitable than the Sheriff's current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend being together.

Gail sensed Jimmy's thoughts and pushed him away. 'You're no fun' she feigned being hurt, then signaled Selena to join her. She smiled when the woman had another shot of Jagermeister, then got up and came to her obediently.

'I don't dance Gail' she stated and stood uncomfortably on the dance floor.

Gail grabbed her hand and pulled her close. 'How do you expect to get Betty's attention if you're hidden away in the corner?' she asked knowingly.

Selena allowed herself to be led by Gail and glanced towards the woman at the bar. 'This is none of your business Gail and I promise that you don't want to interfere with his plans for her'

Gail laughed and spun Selena around playfully. 'I'm not concerned with her, I'm interested in you'

Selena stopped playing and regarded her seriously. 'What are you doing Gail?'

Gail sighed and pulled Selena back towards the booth. 'You wanted my attention and now you've got it...What are you going to do with me Miss Coombs?' she teased.

Selena took a deep breath and tried to control her urges. She could see the mischief in Gail's eyes and part of her wanted to explore her adversary's playful side.

Gail sensed Selena's conflict and smiled, she had accomplished her goal of confusing the woman to allow her to figure out what to do with Betty. She was intrigued as to why Lucas continued to focus on this woman and her darkness wanted to prevent his plan from succeeding, just to see what his reaction would be. 'You know what? I wanna get out of here...why don't you go wait by the water towards the far end of the pier and I'll catch up once I've had a few more drinks to loosen me up?'

Selena was excited, she wanted to explore Gail's apparent fascination with her and gathered that the woman did not want to be seen leaving with her, as it would cause the gossip mill to start grinding. 'Alright, I'll be on the bench where you took your friend from Charleston last year...I'll grab a bottle of wine from Jimmy on my way out' she advised, then picked up her bag and headed for the bar.

Gail watched as Selena left with a bottle of rose, then approached Betty and pulled away the man who was attempting to hit on her. The man went to challenge her; however, he saw the dark look in her eyes and thought better of it. 'My name's Gail, you're Betty right?' she asked sweetly.

Betty looked up from her drink, when she heard a woman talking to her. She zoned out whenever men came on to her these days, as their advances had increased since her time in the cells a few months earlier and it was a surprise that a woman was actually acknowledging her. 'Unless you want your name dragged through the dirt, I'd leave me alone Gail'

'I don't think I made myself clear, I'm Gail Emory' she smiled.

Becky put her drink down and turned towards the woman next to her. Of course she knew the name Gail Emory, everybody in town knew who gave birth to Lucas Buck's son and all the gossiping old biddies wanted to lay eyes on her. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude' she apologised nervously.

'No apologies necessary. I just saw you here and it reminded me that your husband had been looking for you' she lied and released her darkness.

Becky was overcome by a sudden urge to go to her husband, she could not explain it; however, her mind was screaming at her to go. 'Thank you for tellin' me, I better go' Becky said, then rushed out of the bar.

'Yes you should' Gail nodded, then let out a long sigh. She did not know what Lucas' problem was with this couple; however, Selena could not complete her task if the woman was at home and this caused a wave of triumph to flow through her.

Gail had no desire to stay away from her family any longer than she had to; therefore, she left a tip for Jimmy and headed out of the bar to find a cab. She knew Selena would be waiting for her and the thought amused her. The woman could do with some time alone to rethink her loyalties to her fellow women.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Caleb tossed and turned in his bed at 5:30am in the morning, trying to salvage what sleep he could before the alarm went off. He had gone to bed in a foul mood, after having to sit in detention for no logical reason other than his Teacher wanted to punish him. He had struggled to drop off due to his anger festering over the subject and now he found that it was affecting his dreams.

Caleb gave up on sleep and got up, then put on his robe and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The large mansion was very quiet at this time in the morning and he was glad for the peace to allow him to ponder what was bothering him. As he entered the kitchen, he let out an exasperated sigh when he saw Gail sat at the kitchen table wrapped in a blanket, feeding Luke and knew he was not going to get any peace.

Gail had not expected to have company this early in the morning and was thankful that she had wrapped herself in a blanket, which shielded her breastfeeding from Caleb. She frowned when she saw the dark circles around her cousins eyes and beckoned him to a chair opposite her, while she finished feeding Luke and stood up to wind him.

She had sensed unease all night, which caused her to have a restless sleep. In the end she had given up on sleep and decided to bring Luke downstairs with her, to allow Lucas to rest without any disturbance from their baby. Seeing Caleb now, she considered that it may have been him that she had sensed and supposed she should figure out what was wrong.

Gail held Luke securely against her shoulder, while she got a carton of milk out of the refrigerator and poured some in a pan on the stove. Caleb had not said a word; therefore, she took this opportunity to see to Luke before she gave her full attention to her cousin. When she was satisfied that Luke was appropriately winded and settled, she poured the hot milk in a mug and placed it in front of Caleb.

'So, what has you up at this ungodly hour?' she asked, as she sat back down and held Luke to her chest.

Caleb shrugged and placed his cold hands around the mug for some warmth. 'Couldn't sleep I guess' he answered, uninterested.

Gail rolled her eyes and tried to push down her irritation, he was getting as hard to break as his father and she did not have the patience for this so early in the morning. 'Alright, let me rephrase the question...' she said impatiently, '...What's bothered you so much that you're unease has spread throughout the whole house?'

Caleb narrowed his eyes at her in confusion, then realised that he may be the reason why she was up so early. 'I'm sorry if...' he started.

'No sorry's, that doesn't matter...' Gail interrupted, '...What does matter is what's upset you and if I'm honest, I'd be better for everyone involved if you hashed this out with me rather than your father'

Caleb smiled uncontrollably at Gail's outward acknowledgement of Lucas being his father. It was not often she mentioned it in conversation and it was nice to know that she was aware Luke was not the only child in the equation.

He understood why she would not want Lucas getting involved, he was not naive enough to believe his father handled things appropriately when he was angry and he had heard stories around town. 'Alright, I was left in that classroom for hours just 'cause Miss Coombs got a bee in her bonnet...it's not fair that she keeps doin' stuff like this to me!' he snapped unintentionally.

Gail inhaled deeply, then smiled at his show of trust. It had been a while since Caleb confided in her, rather than Lucas and she understood why Selena's actions would bother him so much. 'Do you know what your Teacher was to Lucas in the past?' she asked curiously.

Caleb regarded his cousin suspiciously, he did not know whether this was a trick question; however, he chose to answer honestly. 'His girlfriend I guess'

Gail nodded and signaled for him to drink his warm milk. 'OK, and do you know what happened when Lucas showed a bigger interest in me?'

Caleb thought for a moment, then shrugged. 'He didn't stay with her?'

'Atta boy...' Gail smiled, '...So, when two people have been together for a very long time and one of those people pulls away, it can leave the other one angry and desperate...'

'Desperate?' Caleb interrupted.

'Let's go with a strong need for something...' She tried to explain the meaning, '...anything that will bring the object of their desire back to them. Do you understand?'

Caleb thought he did and nodded.

Gail smiled at how well her cousin picked up on things at his young age and took his hand in hers. 'Selena and your father had been together for a very long time, she became dependent on him...she needs him to be with her and when that need isn't reciprocated, it can make a person do selfish things'

'Like keep me after school until my daddy comes?' Caleb asked, happy that his cousin was being honest with him.

'Exactly, now that kind of behaviour won't be tolerated and I promise that I'll do whatever's necessary, to ensure you aren't dragged into that craziness again...Do you trust me?'

'Yes ma'am' Caleb nodded. Both her and Lucas had been the one constant in his life since Merlyn's death and he felt safe with them.

Gail sensed Caleb accepted her promise and reached over to stroke his cheek affectionately. 'Good, so we'll keep your concerns on this matter between you and I? We don't need to involve your father'

'Involve me in what?' Lucas asked, as he entered the kitchen wearing just a pair of boxer shorts and let out a long yawn. He had awoken to an empty bed and had sensed he was the only one still upstairs; therefore, came down to investigate what was going on.

Caleb's eyes grew wide as he looked at Gail, then he turned towards Lucas and shrugged. 'Just my wakin' Gail up early' he lied.

Lucas sensed his boy was not being truthful; however, it was too early for him to care. 'Whatever you say son...Y'all need to get back in bed now, none of us are due up for another 2 hours' he ordered, then pulled Caleb up and glanced at Gail suspiciously.

Gail shot Caleb a reassuring wink and stood up carefully with Luke. 'Come on, god forbid we upset daddy' she mocked, then headed back to bed.

* * *

Merlyn was awoken from her peaceful slumber by the sound of the doorbell at 9:00am. She had been ordered by Gail to stay at her place last night, regardless of Matt residing there and it appeared they had overslept after staying up past midnight talking. She heard movement downstairs and assumed it was Matt getting up to answer the door, so she turned over and closed her eyes again; however, the loud sound of laughter caught her attention and she sat up in her bed.

Matt never had visitors, the only other person he spoke to apart from her family was Loris Holt; however, he always visited her in the Boarding House. The fact that he was clearly happy to see whoever had disturbed them put Merlyn on edge and had she have had more life experience, she would have realised that the feeling she was experiencing was jealousy. She did not like this feeling and got out of bed to get dressed, to enable her to find out what was going on.

By the time she had made herself presentable and gotten downstairs, the visitor was no longer at the door; however, she heard voices in the living room. She entered the living room determined to scold the person who had woken them up, then smiled when she saw Gail's friend from Charleston.

'Christie, this is M. Did you meet her the last time you were here?' Matt asked, as he got up from his seated position and handed Merlyn a cup of coffee.

'Erm, maybe once or twice. I remember you were a friend of Caleb's...What's a young pretty girl like you doing alone with this handsome Doctor who's twice your age?' Christie asked curiously.

Merlyn glanced at Matt, who's cheeks instantly blushed and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. 'I wish I could snag a handsome Doctor like this, it'd save me havin' to work' she joked.

Christie laughed and picked up her little girl. 'You and me both...So, where's Gail? I know that girl works whenever she likes but I didn't expect her to be out so early, especially when she knew I was coming'

'God forbid I take my cousin to school, how dare I be a responsible guardian' Gail laughed, as she entered the living room holding Luke's car seat.

Matt let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned towards his friend. 'I didn't hear you at the door'

'Why would I knock at my own house silly?' Gail smiled and shot him a look of warning.

'Is this your little boy?...' Christie asked excitedly, as she got up from her seated position and placed Lucy on the couch. '...Gail he's gorgeous!'

Gail stepped in front of Luke protectively. 'Jesus, calm down!...' she snapped, '...He's not used to strangers getting in his face, so just back off'

Christie regarded her best friend suspiciously, then disregarded the change in her and gave her a long hug. 'I've missed you and I'll do whatever I want to that child...I never thought you'd have one, let alone not long after mine'

Gail allowed herself to relax into the embrace, she had been through so much with Christie and the woman would never allow her to push her away. 'Alright, enough. I've missed you too, but I called you down her for a reason'

'I hope it was to get me to report on that strange Sheriff's fall from leadership...He gives me the willies' Christie forced a laugh.

'Lucas Buck is still around unfortunately, but I assure you that he's won't be bothering you' Gail glanced at Matt and Merlyn, then shook her head in warning to keep quiet on the subject.

Christie let out a sigh of relief and turned to check on Lucy. 'Well I don't know how you can assure me of that, but good...Now what was so important that you needed me to drop everything and come here?'

Gail linked her arm around Merlyn's and dragged her towards Christie. 'Well, I'd like you to officially meet my new apprentice' she smiled, then pushed Merlyn towards her friend.

'You got an apprentice?...' Christie asked in disbelief, '...This girl must be special'

'You don't know the half of it...' Gail laughed, then went to Luke when she heard him waking and took him out of the car seat. '...I've got my hands full at the minute with this little devil, so I need another beautiful smart professional to show my apprentice the ropes...You always thought you were better than me anyhow'

Christie laughed and shook her head. There had been a running rivalry between them for years, it was what initiated their friendship in the first place and she would jump at the chance to have a little competition like the old days. 'What exactly are you suggesting?' she asked intrigued.

'I have the benefit of knowing this town, but the challenge of a new born baby. You only have a guide in this girl, but with Lucy being an infant it evens the playing field...Stay for a little while, write an article and we'll see who's the best after all. The only stipulation I have is that you need to keep M involved every step of the way'

Christie considered for a moment, then nodded. 'Barton will be pissed, this is how he lost you Gail'

'He lost me because he gave me an ultimatum, he should have known better than that. Besides I'm sure he wouldn't punish the woman he's screwing too much' Gail said knowingly and headed to the kitchen with Luke, to make herself some coffee.

* * *

Lucas sat in his office, contemplating his next move. He had convinced Selena to assist him with Walter Maine's wife; however, it appeared that she had not done as he had asked and he suspected that was due to his love. He could not punish the mother of his child, that would be inappropriate until at least the boy was a toddler. He was left with the dilemma of how to stop her from interfering in his business, while not being able to fully reprimand her in his usual style.

He would be lying if he did not find her interest in him and what he gets up to flattering, he always had ever since she came to Trinity. He could handle her trying to dig up dirt on him, that was just a challenge for her and it ensured he was careful to keep things hidden; however, interfering with his plans for someone who had broken a deal was not something he could stand for.

Lucas thought for a few moments longer, then left his office and headed for his car. He gave Ben a warning glance when the man went to follow him and believed this was something he had to do on his own, to teach his love some boundaries.

Lucas drove for fifteen minutes before reaching Abe's Antique Store and smiled when he saw the blood red Mustang parked outside. He shot a charming smile at Poppy Bowen, who Gail had roped into taking Merlyn's place in the Store and nodded appreciatively at his old friend Abe, who was rocking his youngest boy to sleep. Lucas did not make conversation, his mind was set on what he was required to do and he would not falter from his plan. He strolled down the long corridor to Abe's office and there was his love, just as he knew she would be.

Gail was taking advantage of her time alone after dropping Merlyn and Christie off at her office at the Trinity Guardian building, to enable them to get to know each other. Christie had wanted to see what pull she had and Gail was happy to leave them be, while she grabbed a few hours to look into her suspicions.

She was sat comfortably behind Abe's desk reading the file on Merlyn Temple's death and writing notes, when she sensed eyes on her. She looked up towards the door, which she could have sworn she had closed and let out a long sigh when she saw Lucas. 'Can't I have a moment's peace please?' she asked to no-one in particular.

Lucas laughed at her frustration, then entered the room and threw the file she was studying on the floor. He disregarded her look of confusion and dragged her up, turned her around, then pulled her long skirt up and ripped off her panties.

'Lucas stop...' she ordered and tried to get up, '...we can't do this here!'

Lucas grabbed her again, spun her around and pushed her back onto the desk. He decided he wanted to face her for this after all she had done to disrupt his plans. Without hesitation he unzipped his pants, parted her legs and thrust his manhood inside of her. Gail tried to protest for a moment longer; however, when he began to push in and out of her dominantly, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his lips to hers.

Gail cursed herself for enjoying the feel of him inside of her so much and savoured the taste of his tongue in her mouth. It was wrong to do this in a Abe's office; however, she could not resist her lover and just prayed that Abe did not catch them.

Lucas kept his movements slow at first, ensuring he got as deep as he could inside of her; however, when he felt her long nails scratching down his back through his shirt, he started pounding in and out of her vigorously. He sensed her state of mind being pulled from the task she had been performing before he had showed up and smiled, he wanted to disrupt her day like she had done his and this was a good start.

Something at the door caught his attention momentarily and he smiled when he spotted Poppy Bowen watching him. This was not a show for a young girl and he knew Gail would not react well if they were caught; therefore, he shot the girl a wicked wink and laughed when she ran the opposite way, leaving them alone.

Gail attempted to keep the volume of her moans down and continued to kiss Lucas passionately. His movements were relentless and it felt as if her very soul was being stripped away. She sensed his climax rising and let go fully of her resistance, she felt an intense surge of pleasure rise within her and bit down on Lucas' shoulder to stifle her cries.

Lucas forced his lips on hers as he exploded within her, then continued to kiss her affectionately for a few moments before releasing himself from her. He smiled triumphantly at Gail's look of disgust, as he cleaned himself up and placed his manhood securely back in his pants. After handing her a handkerchief to clean herself up, he moved towards the file on the floor when her back was turned away and picked up the notes that had fallen out. Lucas placed the notes in his pocket, then headed for the door.

'What the hell was that?' Gail asked confused.

Lucas laughed and shook his head. 'You interfere with my tasks Darlin' and I'll interfere with yours...Keep that in mind the next time you poke your nose in my business' he warned, then left her alone in the office.

Gail rolled her eyes and shook her head in frustration, she guessed this was to do with what he had tasked Selena to do the previous night and it made her intrigued as to why it was so important.

She went to the file on the floor and picked it up, then headed back to Abe's desk. When she opened the file, she cursed out loud and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. 'Son of bitch!' she yelled and was disappointed in her own stupidity.

Gail paced the room, knowing he would be long gone by now with her notes and let out a long sigh. If he wanted her distracted from her task of the day, then he had succeeded. She decided she would now ensure that she took a personal interest in the woman from the previous night and see how well he managed to progress with that little task.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Betty Maine sat with her eldest son on Johnson's Bridge, while he fished with his friends. She had more important things to do than sit around with a bunch of youngsters; however, Walter brought in the bigger paycheck, which meant she was stuck with the menial jobs.

She had always loved her husband, despite everyone gossiping about the large age gap between them. It had been a strange few months for her and Walter, especially after an uncontrollable anger had came over her and she attacked him in a bar. She had been worried and had never thought the Sheriff was going to release her; however, Walter had convinced him that she was of no harm and she did not know what had come over her.

'I wouldn't put my gesture of goodwill down to that ol' husband of yours...' Lucas said calmly, as he appeared out of nowhere in a chair next to her holding a fishing rod. '...That act was to appease a close personal friend of mine'

Betty jumped at the sight of the Sheriff next to her and attempted not to alarm her son to her unease. 'Afternoon Sheriff, I didn't see you sneak up there' she forced a laugh.

'Well, you women do have a habit of being distracted' Lucas sighed and continued to stare into the water.

Betty felt uncomfortable and she had no idea what women he was referring to. She had heard stories about Lucas Buck and she suddenly felt scared, tears started to form in her eyes and she did not know what to do here.

'Oh calm yourself woman...' Lucas said charmingly and stroked her arm gently. '...I ain't got no beef with you Darlin', but that ol' husband of yours is a whole different ball game'

Betty bit her lip at the pleasant feeling that came over her when he stroked her, she had not felt electricity between her and Walter for quite some time; however, she felt something stir when this Adonis touched her and she began to crave him.

Lucas sensed her desire for him and thought back to how this all used to be so much simpler for him. Before Gail showed up, he could have whatever woman that he wanted in Trinity and used to think nothing of toying with their desires to enable him to use them in his games; however, he was a family man now and he respected his partner enough to remain loyal. This display was more to prove a point than anything else and it appeared he had not lost any of his charm now that he was taken.

Betty leaned into Lucas' touch, then was pulled out of her trance when he removed his hand from her arm. 'What about Walter?' she asked concerned, when she remembered her husband had been mentioned.

Lucas laughed and shook his head. Yes, this could all have been so much easier had he not been with Gail; however, he would have to be more creative with his methods going forward. 'You just be sure to tell your husband about this meetin' today' he whispered in her ear, then handed her the fishing rod and walked away.

Betty's unease resurfaced when the distance between them increased and she felt the tears begin to form again in her eyes.

* * *

Gail sat with Christie, Merlyn and Matt in the restaurant Lucas used to take her to. She had not eaten out for a long time with being a new mother and she had made the spontaneous decision to leave Caleb and Luke with Abe for the night. It had been a strange day and she was still irritated at the fact that she had not been able to recreate the details of her previous notes, which Lucas had taken from her; therefore, she was more than happy to leave him to fend for himself while she dined out with her friends.

'So, this is a nice place...' Christie smiled, '...You're usually not the type of person to accept special treatment'

When they had arrived and the head waiter had spotted Gail, he ensured they were given the best large table in the house by the large fireplace. She was going to protest; however, she was happy to be away from the prying eyes of the public and this table was slightly away from the main area. 'It's hardly special treatment...' Gail lied, '...Besides, we have the best Doctor in Trinity with us, so what do you expect?'

Christie laughed as Matt blushed, it was the second time today that she had witnessed that reaction from him and his discomfort amused her. 'If I remember correctly, there was another handsome specimen that was our partner in crime the last time I was here...You still haven't told me, is he Luke's father?' she asked curiously.

Gail rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'Will you give up trying to guess the father of my child? It really doesn't matter...Besides, you're talking about Billy Peele and believe when I saw I would not let that man come near me with a barge pole' she laughed, then noticed her friend had frozen.

'I'm glad to hear it...Miss me sweetheart?' Lucas asked in his best southern gentleman drawl and placed his hands dominantly on Gail's shoulders.

Merlyn stared at Lucas disapprovingly, as he had appeared out of nowhere and glanced at Gail.

Gail glanced at Merlyn, trying not to react and then forced a smile as she stared up at Lucas. 'I can assure you I didn't Sheriff...To what do we owe this visit?' she asked calmly, trying to remain cool.

Lucas knew Gail had not told her friend about their relationship, or that he was the father of her child and he had promised to be on his best behaviour while she was in town; however, that was before his love had chosen to interfere with his business. 'It appears you forgot to tell me what time we were havin' dinner love...it's a good job my eldest passed the message on' he said smugly, then leaned down and kissed her cheek softly before sitting down in the spare chair beside her.

Christie stared at Gail in confusion, it was obvious the child was his given the name and now she felt stupid at not putting it together. Feeling herself loosen up slightly, she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip. 'So, this is the mystery man? How long have you been together Gail?' she asked, annoyed at her friend for keeping this from her.

'Over a year...' Lucas answered for Gail, then placed his hand on hers and put on his best mocking tone. '...I'm surprised I managed to convince her to move in with me, but love holds no bounds they say'

Matt watched as Gail cringed in her seat, he had never seen her controlled like this and was confused as to why she was allowing Lucas to take control. 'It's not like that...' he started, trying to help his friend; however, he was silenced by Christie holding up her finger in a warning gesture.

'Oh wow, over a year and you moved in with the man? The Gail I knew would never give up her independence, no matter how much someone begged' Christie directed at Gail.

'I wouldn't say I begged...' Lucas started.

'Oh for god's sake stop' Gail interrupted, finally finding her voice and placed her head in her hand. She had not expected this interruption and was not impressed that he had forced her hand with Christie.

'Something wrong love?' Lucas asked sarcastically.

'Yes, something wrong best friend?' Christie asked irritated.

Gail looked towards Matt and Merlyn for help; however, both of them shrugged and stared uncomfortably at the menu. Gail took a large sip of her wine and forced a smile. 'Christie meet Lucas, the father of my son, the keeper of my heart and my devoted partner' she introduced sarcastically.

Lucas smiled devilishly at the uncomfortable position he had placed her in and opened the menu in front of Gail. 'Now that the introduction is outta the way, let's say we decide on what we're eatin'. I'm starved'

* * *

Selena sat in the restaurant with Billy, attempting to rekindle her desire for their relationship; however, all she could think about was how Gail had stood her up the previous night and how much she craved to be back in the fold with Lucas. She felt her old obsession returning and it was becoming hard to remain loyal to Billy.

'This was a good idea' Billy said, as he watched Selena. He had sensed something was wrong and she had been slipping away recently; therefore, he was happy that she had agreed to come out with him.

'This is nice, but it's not your usual choice of a good time' Selena said suspiciously and took a sip of her wine.

Billy had acted on the recommendation of Lucas and attempted to hide the mans involvement. 'Alright, it may not have been my first choice, but you like this kind of originality' he laughed, as he stared in disbelief at the menu.

Selena sensed something was not right here and placed her glass down. 'I know someone else who appreciates the creativeness of this cuisine Billy...who's idea was this?' she asked, hoping he was not stupid enough to do what she thought he had.

Billy placed the menu down and sighed. 'Look, I'm trying here so don't get mad at me...'

'Who's idea was this?' she asked sternly.

'Lucas'' he shrugged, he had started to accept the man as his friend; therefore, he saw nothing wrong with acting on his suggestion.

Selena shook her head, then took a large sip of her drink. Part of her felt excited knowing Lucas wanted her here for a reason; however, the smart part of her knew this unwavering loyalty of hers was going to get her hurt some day. 'I'm not mad...' she sighed, '...Let's just have a nice time and not think of Lucas'

Billy smiled, surprised that he had gotten off so lightly and picked up the menu to see what sounded edible.

* * *

Lucas sensed Selena's presence and squeezed Gail's knee under the table. He intended to get his tool back on his side and suspected Selena would doubt her recent bond Gail, once she saw her with her actual best friend.

Gail had sensed Lucas was up to something as soon as he showed himself; however, she was attempting to make this as pain free as possible for Christie and had been ensuring she was on her best behaviour. After the initial discomfort they had all felt, Lucas had eased off and was behaving surprisingly well. He appeared to be making an effort to win Christie over and had refrained from any inappropriate digs at Matt and Merlyn.

Gail did not trust this good boy facade and wanted nothing more than to release her darkness, to give her a shot of discovering what he was up to; however, her hands were tied while Christie was here and she suspected Lucas had figured that out. 'So, have you two managed to scour the town to find anything news worthy yet?' she asked, trying to ignore Lucas' hand travelling from her knee up to the inside of her thigh.

Christie watched her friend carefully, she could not decide whether she liked her behaviour around this strange man of hers. She remembered the fear he had somehow put in her the last time she was here and did not trust his intentions with her friend. She had known Gail long enough to be sure that she would not allow herself to be controlled, or manipulated; however, she did not understand why she was going along with his facade. 'We took a little tour of the town, but found nothing concrete yet' she finally answered and took a sip of her second glass of wine.

'I showed her Goat Town and explained what we're tryin' to establish' Merlyn added and smiled when her cousin nodded in approval.

'If you know what's good for you, you'll take advantage of Christie being here. I tend to see the bad in things, but Christie always has a positive take...it's refreshing' Gail smiled, whilst trying to discreetly remove Lucas' hand from between her legs.

'What about you Harvard? Any interestin' investigations I should now about?' Lucas asked knowingly.

Matt took a large gulp of his club soda and stared at Lucas defiantly. He suspected the man knew about the file and notes he had supplied Gail with; however, he knew better than to show weakness to a predator. 'Just the usual Sheriff, nothing out of the ordinary...You know my ER has been pretty quiet for a while now, everything alright with you?' he mocked.

Lucas regarded Matt with irritation, he could not fully address that comment with an outsider present; therefore, he just grinned and tangled his fingers in Gail's thong. 'You know now that you mention it, I think my attention has been elsewhere recently...How about you Miss Emory? How's your focus been recently?' he asked and smiled when he saw her bite her lip to control her urges.

The pressure of this situation was proving too much for Gail and she pushed his hand off of her, then stood up. 'I have to go to the ladies room' she excused herself, then headed towards the main seating area in the restaurant and took a long breath. They were all beginning to frustrate her, apart Merlyn who actually appeared to be enjoying her meal and she needed to get away.

Gail ran her hand through her hair in exasperation, then spotted Billy sat on his own towards the restaurant kitchen. She was about to turn around when she saw him let out a long heavy sigh and cursed herself for being bothered by his current state. Without thinking, she walked over to his table and sat down. 'Shut up' she warned, before he made a big deal out of this and picked up the half empty wine glass, then took a sip.

Billy stared at Gail in shock for a moment, then took a large sip of his drink. He knew better than to disturb her when she wanted quiet, so sat in silence with her for a few minutes and just enjoyed her company.

'Dining alone?' she finally asked and continued to drink the glass of wine in front of her.

Billy let out a small laugh and shook his head. 'I wasn't until about fifteen minutes ago, when my date found a random woman to entertain herself with'

Gail stared at him confused, then glanced at the bar and narrowed her eyes at Selena. It appeared the woman from the previous night had decided to come to the restaurant also and Selena had wasted no time in pouncing on her. Gail let out a long sigh and turned towards Billy. 'You really could do better you know' she stated.

'So could you' Billy smiled and they both laughed together, as though nothing had ever happened to destroy their friendship.

'Do me a favour...' Gail said as she got up from the table, '...Go to my table over there and send Christie over to the bar. I think I need to have a word with your girlfriend about the appropriate etiquette of a date'

Billy went to protest, then remembered he had been well and truly ditched. He stood up obediently and headed for the table, when he saw Lucas he stared at him suspiciously. 'Fancy seeing you here' he said, then signaled for Christie to head to the bar.

Gail waited for her friend to join her and disregarded Lucas' eyes, which she felt on her back. Both women linked each others arms, then approached the bar confidently and sat down beside Selena. 'Bartender? Can I have a bottle of your finest Prosecco at the order of Lucas Buck please?' Gail smiled sweetly.

Christie watched as the exotic woman next to them turned around and shot Gail a look of thunder. She did not know what game her friend was playing; however, her empowering demeanor reminded her of the olden days, when her friend did not have a care in the world.

'What are you doing here?' Selena asked irritated.

Gail winked at Christie, then turned her attention towards Betty. 'This is getting beyond coincidence, you're not following me are you?' she asked Betty sarcastically.

Betty had been taken by surprise by the attention Selena had been given her and now she was face to face with Gail Emory again. She did not know what was happening to her; however, seeing the woman gave her a much needed sense of calmness, after she had been on edge from the visit from the Sheriff earlier. 'I don't think I'm followin' you' she laughed nervously.

Christie caught on to what Gail wanted to do instantly and decided to help it along. 'Hey, I'm Christie? Are you a friend of my best friend Gail?' she feigned ignorance and linked the woman's arm.

'The way we keep running into each other, she just might be' Gail laughed and stood between Selena and Betty.

Merlyn approached the group, curious as to why all the women had left. 'What's goin' on?'

'Have you met my new friend Betty? She's a sweet little thing like you' Gail smiled.

Merlyn narrowed her eyes at Gail suspiciously, then felt Lucas' eyes on her back and felt a bit of mischief coming on. 'I don't think I have...' she smiled, playing along instinctively. '...I'm M and you are?'

'Betty...' Selena said venomously, '...and we were in the middle of something'

'Well, now it looks like we're in the middle of something' Christie smiled, then winked at Gail as she pulled Betty towards the door.

'I do believe we are...What are you going to do about it Miss Coombs?' Gail challenged Selena dominantly, then smiled when Selena looked to Lucas for help.

Merlyn really did not know what was going on; however, she felt some line was being crossed and she signaled for Matt to follow them out.

'He's going to be pissed Gail' Selena warned, as she spotted Lucas' intense stare.

Gail grabbed the bottle of Prosecco, then turned towards her lover and shot him a wicked grin. 'Tell him to bring it on Darlin'' she mocked and kissed Selena softly on the lips, to cause her loyalty to stir, before heading out of the restaurant to follow her friends.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas made his way down to the kitchen after waking up alone in his bed, he was looking forward to a quiet coffee on his own to establish what had gone on last night and what he intended to do going forward. When he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see a freshly made mug of coffee on the table waiting for him. He picked up the mug and headed to his Study, to find Gail sat in front of the fireplace breastfeeding Luke.

'I wondered when you'd be up...How was the rest of your night?' she mocked and stroked Luke's head as he fed peacefully.

Lucas wanted to be mad at her for not only ditching him with Billy and Selena, but for yet again getting involved with Betty; however, seeing her feeding his son in this natural way calmed him and he watched her in awe. 'It's a good job you're of such use to me or you'd have a lot of explainin' to do Darlin'

Gail laughed and shook her head. 'I can't let it go Lucas, this is who I am...What is it about that woman that has your attention?'

Lucas walked to the fireplace and sat on the floor in front of Gail, to enable him to watch her unobstructed. 'You jealous Miss Emory?' he mocked.

'Of what Sheriff? That boring Southern devout who would faint at the thought of some of the things you're into? she asked sarcastically.

Lucas laughed and ran his hand up the bottom of her leg. He was attempting to keep calm; however, this insubordination was irritating him. 'That borin' Southern devout is of no interest to me Darlin', so I don't understand why you insist on shieldin' her'

Gail nodded and thought for a moment. 'Alright, so she's of no interest but she must be close to someone who is, or you wouldn't be sending your dog to sniff around...her husband maybe, is that it?' she asked curiously.

Lucas' rage suddenly flew to the surface and he placed his coffee down, then kneeled over her dominantly. Before he had a chance to address the comment, he heard the familiar low growls of a troublesome mutt.

'Careful sweetheart, someone doesn't appreciate your stance' Gail smiled smugly and signaled Gideon to come to her side.

Lucas inhaled deeply, then sat back down on the floor in front of her and picked up his mug. 'I won't tell you again Gail, keep outta my business' he warned.

'So it is the husband?' she asked knowingly, disregarding his warning.

Lucas was beginning to get agitated, her complete lack of respect for his wishes was starting to get to him and it was taking all of his strength not to insert his dominance. He knew Gail did not want to be here with him while her friend was visiting Trinity and he had to be careful of how he conducted himself, to avoid an overreaction from her.

Lucas downed his coffee, welcoming the burning sensation in his throat to take his attention off his infuriating partner and stood up. 'You shouldn't push me Gail, you won't like what you see' he said calmly and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, then walked out of the room to get ready for work.

* * *

Walter Maine walked casually around his farm, attempting to push down the feelings of distrust he had for his Betty recently. Betty had been considerably younger than him when she got pregnant and accepted his proposal of marriage, he accepted that she liked to go out every so often to let off steam; however, her nights out were becoming more frequent and he did not know what to make of it.

Betty had come home after 1:00am this morning and was in no fit state for anything today. She had mumbles something about Lucas Buck and the mother of his child; however, he could not make sense of her ramblings.

Walter was prone to a drink or two, every Southern man he knew appreciated a beer and it was just the way of the South. He would never begrudge anyone a stiff drink now and again; however, his wife was coming home drunk every night and it was starting to affect her capability to look after their children.

'You can't let a woman disregard her duties as a mother Walter, you'll never get her back on the straight and narrow if you let that behaviour slide' Lucas warned, as he leaned against a tree Walter had just walked past.

Walter jumped and turned towards Lucas, he could have sworn there was no-one there when he past the tree and let off an involuntary shiver. 'Afternoon Sheriff, I didn't see you there...What can I do you for?' he asked nervously.

Lucas regarded Walter with disdain for a moment, then his true feelings disappeared and he gave the man a charming smile. 'I'm here to collect...you still owe me if I'm not mistaken'

Walter felt a knot form in his stomach and he gulped hard. 'Anything Sheriff...I'll do whatever you need' he stuttered.

'You? Nah, I don't want you...' he laughed and stared deep into the man's eyes, paralyzing him. '...What I want is that pretty young wife of yours. My girl is itchin' to get back to work and I could do with a professional Nurse to look after my boy for a few hours a day at my place'

'Your place?' Walter asked, feeling the knot get tighter in his stomach.

Lucas nodded, knowing the answer already; however, he liked to watch his people squirm. 'My home Walter, you know that huge Mansion out on Harrington Drive?' he mocked.

Walter was aware of where Lucas lived, everyone in the town was. You could not avoid seeing that enormous Mansion and it had always belonged to the Bucks. 'I don't think that's a good idea Sheriff, you see she's not been feeling well recently after...'

'After partying all night with my other half?...' Lucas interrupted, '...All the more reason why I want her, she already gets along with Gail and that is a chore in itself'

Walter felt sweat pouring down his forehead, he did not understand why Lucas could not just ask something of him rather than Betty. This matter was causing him no end of stress and he did not know what to do. 'I just don't think she can Sheriff, I'm sorry...but I'll do whatever you need, I promise' he tried to reason.

Lucas let out a long sigh and shook his head. 'You know this is the second time you've turned me down Walter? If I was a different man I'd think you didn't trust me with your wife, but that can't be it right?' he asked knowingly.

Walter turned away from the mans knowing gaze and wiped the sweat from his brow. 'Of course it's not...' he lied, '...As I said, I'd do anythin' you need'

Lucas looked up at the sky and saw a murder of crows, he smiled to himself and started to walk away. 'It's a nice clear day Walter, you should take your family out to a quiet spot by the river, maybe see if you can convince Betty out of her wild ways' he suggested and walked back to his car whistling a happy tune, leaving Walter bewildered with his visit.

* * *

Gail sat in her car, waiting for Caleb's class to finish. When she spotted Josh running out of the school with the other children, she unstrapped Luke from his car seat and walked angrily into the school. She had hoped Selena would know better than to hold Caleb back again; however, she had no such luck.

When Gail spotted Caleb sat at his desk with Boone to the side of him, she barged into the classroom and signaled for the boy's to leave.

'What are you doing Miss Emory, you have no authority here' Selena snapped.

'Yeah, yeah, you tried that with my other half. Take Luke to the car Caleb, but be very careful' she warned.

'You trust me with the baby?' Caleb asked in disbelief, as he had never been trusted to be alone with him previously.

'I trust that you wouldn't dare test me, now go on...' she ordered and waited for them to leave the classroom before addressing Selena. '...This has to stop, you can't keep using him as an excuse to lure Lucas here. If he finds out you're bothering his son he will retaliate'

Selena laughed and shook her head. 'I've known him longer than you Gail, I can handle his punishments' she said cattily.

'Can you handle mine?' Gail asked with a hint of malice in her tone.

Selena saw the change come across the woman before her and took a step back. 'You wouldn't do anything...'

'No?...' Gail interrupted, '...You forget that I tolerate you because you're Caleb's Teacher, but if you start affecting his life in a negative way I will happily come up with some creative way to remind you of your place'

Selena saw the darkness in her eyes and suddenly understood why Lucas was drawn to her. Gail was not just a follower of him like she had been, she was something different with a dark side all of her own.

Gail allowed her darkness to be visible for a moment, then pulled it back. 'I'm going to take your silence as confirmation that you understand what I'm telling you...Don't overstep your authority Selena, it's not worth it' she warned, then started to head to her car to check on the boys.

As Gail exited the school, she smiled when she saw Caleb and Boone sat on the hood of her car playing with Luke.

'Can he come fishin' with us cous'?' Caleb asked excitedly.

Gail was about to answer, when her mobile telephone rang and she held her finger up to Caleb to hold that thought. 'Hey Christie, sorry I've not been around much today. I promise I'll stop by shortl...'

'Gail, you need to get down here...I think we've found our story' she interrupted.

'On my way' Gail said, hanging up her telephone and staring at it for a moment. She felt a wave of unease come over her and held her hand to her mouth.

Caleb spotted the change in his cousin and became concerned. 'Gail? Whats wrong?'

Gail looked up at the sky then closed her eyes, she released her darkness and was hit with a vision of a floating body in the Trinity river. 'Get in the car, we've got to go' she ordered and took hold of Luke. She needed to get to the river as soon as possible to evaluate what was going on.

* * *

There were two ambulances and three police cruisers by the river, when Gail pulled up in her Mustang. She ordered the children to remain in the car, then rushed out to find Christie and Merlyn. She did not need to look towards the riverbank to know it was Betty Maine laying dead under a blanket, with her eldest son laying motionless next to her.

Gail felt her heart sink and scoured the area for Merlyn. When she spotted her cousin she noticed the look of complete awareness on Merlyn's face, she saw Lucas standing to the right of Merlyn talking to Christie and her friend was talking with a raised voice in frustration. Gail took advantage of the spare few minutes she had and surveyed her surrounding thoroughly, she spotted a man sat away from everyone else with a blanket wrapped around him and knew instantly that this was Walter Main.

Without hesitation, Gail scurried under the yellow police tape and approached Walter, she knelt down in front of the broken man and placed her soft hand on top of his. Suddenly Gail was hit with a sharp pain in her brain and images began flashing before her. She saw Betty sat with her children in front of a picnic blanket, the woman appeared happy and content; however, she was watching her husband pace by the water suspiciously. Another flash and Gail saw Walter dragging Betty deeper into the river towards the center, while their eldest boy was screaming at him to stop. The last thing she saw was the boy wading into the water after the floating body of his mother and a murder of crows circling her dead body.

'My Betty...I didn't mean to...Oh God my boy!...' Walter stuttered and began to cry hysterically.

'Aw hell Gail!' Ben snapped, when he turned towards the sound of crying and spotted his friend with the murder suspect. He glanced around and saw Lucas was busy with Gail's Reporter friend, then marched towards her and stood with his hands on his hips.

Gail rolled her eyes in exasperation when she heard Ben's voice and stood up, turned towards her friend and smiled warmly at him. 'Afternoon Ben, fancy seeing you out here. How's Izzy?' she asked sweetly.

Ben let out a long sigh and shook his head. 'Don't you how's Izzy me, you know better than to cross that line and interfere with a murder Gail' he said angrily and pointed at the yellow police tape, which clearly stated do not cross.

'Yes she does' Lucas said as he approached the pair. He had sensed her presence on the scene instantly; however, he wanted her to know what had happened and had no desire of shielding her from the grizzly details.

Gail regarded both men with irritation, then laughed. 'It's not my problem that you don't secure the area effectively, don't blame me for doing my job'

'I wish your job didn't make you such a pain in the ass in mine' Ben scolded.

'Why don't you go see to the other member of the press, who is equally as frustratin' as Miss Emory here and give us a few moments alone' Lucas suggested and nodded his appreciation when Ben obeyed, leaving them to go deal with Christie.

Gail sensed the smugness radiating off of Lucas and it suddenly hit her. The crows, the broken man, the personal touch of the river...this was him and he was gloating. Gail took a protective step back towards her car, instinctively thinking about the children; however, Lucas took her arm and gently led her to a quiet spot close to the water, where no-one could hear them.

Lucas sensed her sudden awareness of the situation and smiled, she was bound to him now and there was no running from what they were; therefore, he had chosen to let himself go and allow her to see the consequences of her actions. 'Had you have just kept out of it, poor Betty may have just had an affair and tortured that imbecile for a few years with her infidelity' he whispered.

Gail stared out into the river, feeling truly frightened for the first time since she had been in Trinity. Everything else that had happened to her could be managed and controlled; however, this was something she could not hide from, she was getting a glimpse of the real man she had fallen for and he appeared to be enjoying unveiling this to her. 'This isn't my fault, this was a freak incident' she tried to deny what she already knew.

Lucas placed an arm around her waist, possessively holding her to him. 'You wanted the truth and you wanted to push me...well here it is Gail. How does it feel to truly know me?' he whispered in her ear.

Gail sensed the people in the area watching them and took a deep breath, to push down her instinct to react to this dominating behaviour. She had foolishly believed that she could control whatever Lucas was, she had accepted that she did not want to change him; however, she believed his questionable behaviour would stop. Concern began to flood through her at the predicament she was in and the children she was obligated to protect.

'There are rules Gail and I would never allow anythin' like this to impact our family, but you need to understand that this all could've been prevented had you not gone against me' he explained, like a Teacher attempting to drill in a life lesson into their favourite pupil.

Gail closed her eyes, this was too much and she just wanted to run away. Suddenly her darkness was released and a wave of reassurance flooded through her. 'Keep your lectures for your whore...She needs them more than I do' she said calmly, in a voice unlike her own.

Lucas sensed the change in her instantly and smiled devilishly, as he turned her to face him. This was the key to unlocking her true potential, an act from him that she could not deny and her true self was now standing before him. 'You feel that rage? Let in Gail, feel it flow through your veins and you'll understand...' he started; however, he was silenced by her soft finger on his lips.

'I don't need your manipulation and I don't need your teachings. Your over inflated ego has allowed you to cross a line with an out of state Reporter in the fold and I will not let you touch her Lucas, so what now?...' she asked, with a hint of venom in her tone. '...I'm not going to shut her up and if you think I'm bad, she has a whole different way of getting to the truth'

Lucas inhaled deeply and glanced at Christie in irritation. 'You invited her here'

'And you couldn't behave like a normal person for a few weeks until she left. This whole display is unacceptable...even if Betty was flawed, an innocent child is dead Lucas. You know I will not sacrifice my integrity regardless of who I'm screwing, so you've left me no choice but to take this story on...I hope you covered your tracks well lover' she threatened, then turned around and started to walk away.

'Where are you goin?' Lucas asked, not liking the way this was going.

'I'm taking the children home, to my home' she stated and shot him a look of warning not to argue with her.

Lucas took a deep breath and watched as she walked towards her car, with Christie and Merlyn in tow. Although his actions had resulted in her taking the children, this was the most intrigue he had felt in a while and even though he knew she was pissed, he looked forward to the game that had started.

-The End-


End file.
